Full Moon Rising
by Res'pense
Summary: Serena's pack, the Jericho are slaughtered by the Valterre, led by Darien and his father. Darien saves Serena from the same fate as her parents by claiming her as his mate...easy enough when she is a child but when the time comes, will Serena submit?
1. Chapter 1

_Chapter One_

_The Beginning_

AN: I had a dream about this the other night, and decided to turn the overall idea into an AU Sailor Moon fic. We will see where this goes, but if I don't get any feedback, this might be doomed as a one-shot.

Future Pairings: S/D, Scouts/Generals

Obviously I do not own Sailor Moon.

* * *

Serena was pulled from her bed in the dead of night. Her eyes had no trouble adjusting to the blackness, and as soon as she'd opened her eyes she had caught the reassuring scent of her mother.

"Mama--" She started loudly but her mother's hand was over her mouth before she could finish her question. She kept her hand clamped over Serena's mouth and carried her to Serena's dressing chamber. The room was large and lined with innumerable dresses, cloaks, shoes, gloves, and play clothes for the six year old. Serena's mother closed the thick wooden door between the bed chamber and dressing chamber silently, and knelt in front of Serena, her lips pressed against her only daughter's ear.

"Serenity," she whispered, and suddenly Serena was scared because fear was making her mother's voice shake and the scent of it tinged the air. "You must do what I tell you now without question or hesitation. Do you understand?"

Serena nodded, her lower lip trembling. Why was Mama afraid? What was going on?

"Be absolutely silent. Do not speak, do not cry, and do not scream. Do you understand?"

Serena nodded again, the scent of her fear and confusion seeping from her alabaster skin and mingling with her mother's.

Serena's mother ran a soothing hand through her daughter's long, soft hair. "Good. Now listen. There are bad men in the castle." Serena's eyes widened and her mother shook her head; there was no time to explain it all, there wasn't even enough time to save herself but if she could just save Serena… "They are like the villains in the game you play with the girls. This time, the men will try to catch you but you mustn't let them. You must escape to the haven, remember? Your father showed you last year? I want you to go through the secret tunnels I showed you. Do you remember? Yes, good. You are the fastest runner in our pack, and the best hider. The girls can never find you, and now the bad men must not."

She pulled Serena's frozen form to the back corner of the room, where a large armoire stood. Serena watched as her mother opened the doors and triggered a hidden latch on the floor. The floor of the armoire popped up and the smell of feces was overwhelming. Her mother had explained that there were alternating vials of pungent scents that would mask the scent of any who passed through the hidden opening. Serena wrinkled her nose in disgust, already forgetting her fear and the strangeness of being woken up in the middle of the night. What a fun game! Her mother was always making up games for them to play, to challenge and test her budding abilities. This was just another one!

Her mother pulled Serena to the edge of the gaping black hole in the ground. The air that drifted up was stale and smelled of old earth. Her mother knew that her daughter's only chance of escape was through the tunnels. The Valterre didn't know of them, and by the time they found them, Serena's trail would be lost in the mires. She would reach the haven and Amara, Michelle and Trista would raise her until it was safe once again for Serena to reclaim her lands and rule over her people.

Hugging her daughter, she felt some peace creep in to quell the panic that had seized hold of her when the walls of the castle had been breached. Her daughter would survive, and that was enough. One day, she would understand the sacrifices that were made in order to ensure her safety. She cringed and squeezed Serena tighter, thinking of her husband's bloodied and broken body, and the horror of watching his head roll away from his broad shoulders. Serena was all she had left and she would die tonight clinging to the hope that her daughter would live.

"Go. Now. Before the bad men come." She whispered roughly and pushed Serena's small, warm form away. Serena clung for a moment, and then kissed her mother on her cheek, surprised at the warm wetness that met her lips. Mama was crying.

"I love you Mama." She whispered and began to climb down the tunnel.

Her mother felt tears coat her throat and she swallowed thickly. "I love you, darling."

Her mother was both elated and broken hearted when she closed the tunnel over her daughter and rushed from the chambers. If she hurried, she thought as she raced down the empty hallways and into her own chambers, if she hurried she may be able to make it out herself and meet Serena at the haven.

The door slammed shut behind her and she spun around, her hair a silvery curtain. The scent of unfamiliar males, enemy males, assaulted her senses and she snarled in rage. How dare they invade her most private sanctum! Fear was quick on the heels of rage. If they had reached her chambers so quickly, how much longer would it be before they discovered Serena?

She sunk into a crouch; the Change took over and transformed her. For the life of her pup, she would do anything. Her silver eyes glinted dangerously, and she circled the men, calculating. All she needed to do was buy more time for Serena.

Serena ran silently down the underground tunnels, her feet avoiding any uneven patches of stone. She was barely breathing hard and was proud of how quiet she was being! When she got to the haven without being caught, her mama would be so proud of her! Maybe she would even hold a feast in celebration of her daughter's cleverness! She was imagining her mother's delighted smile and her father's booming voice praising her speed when she reached the end of the tunnel and pushed open the portal in the mires outside of the castle. She paused carefully, with the lid opened a few inches and scented the surrounding area as she had been taught. This was where Rei always messed up. She always forgot to sniff out any potential dangers. Well, Serena planned on showing Rei how smart and careful she could be!

It was safe, she decided and pulled herself out of the hole, replacing the lid behind her. She began to walk cautiously through the mire, her attention focused on picking out swamp water and sand from the safe spongy ground she could walk on.

She wasn't aware of another person's presence until she was pinned against the ground, her arms twisted cruelly behind her. She yelped in surprise and pain, and struggled against her assailant. Oh, she'd been caught! Her mother wouldn't give a feast for her now.

Her captor, a male by his scent, silently tied rough rope around her feet and her wrists, gagging her with a length of old cloth that tasted of mold, and blindfolding her. Serena kept struggling until he cuffed her hard enough to bring tears to her eyes. Shocked by his rough treatment, she was still as he threw her over his shoulder and began to jog, jostling her against his shoulder. No one in her pack had ever hit her before. Her mother and father forbade such physical punishment against their only daughter and against other pups in the pack. Who was this male that he dared treat her so?

She couldn't see as they traveled but she could smell and hear. She knew the familiar scents of her home well enough, but there were some scents that confused her. A warm, metallic scent that was like the blood of the animals the adults brought back for her and the other pups, but different. It was stronger the further inside the courtyard they got, and Serena was aware when they climbed the gray stone steps into the great hall. Voices had been raised, in anger, excitement and confusion but abruptly all sound ceased. Serena scented her mother, father and others but the scent of unfamiliar males overpowered the familiar scents of her pack mates.

Suddenly she was dropped to the stone floor, and she yelped again when she landed painfully on her head. Her captor grabbed the ropes binding her feet and pulled her forward across the floor. Something wet seeped through the back of her nightgown and she frowned at the thought of her pretty light pink gown being ruined.

"What did you bring me, Gregory?" The voice is velvety and completely masculine, and the power that inundated beneath the words froze Serena in her place.

Her captor, Gregory, shifted and the blindfold was removed, along with her gag. "I believe it is the whelp, sir."

Serena glared up at Gregory indignantly. How dare he ruin her dress _and _call her a whelp! "My name is Serena, you big idiot!"

The tension that filled the air was palatable and for the first time, Serena was able to look around the great hall. More than a hundred males, in both human and wolf form, filled the room and none of them were members of the Jericho pack. The great hall was a mess, but Serena barely noticed the disarray, her eyes drawn instead to something more horrible. Her mother was chained, naked and coated with blood and gore, between four enormous men. The men held the thick chains tightly, and as she watched, her mother slowly met her eyes and shook her head. Serena was not to move or say anything else.

Several Jericho pack members were chained as well, all in their human forms. She noticed Andrew kneeling next to Molly, her bright red hair matted and tears staining her cheeks. Patricia, one of Serena's tutors was half naked, blood dripping freely from a gash on her cheek. She too shook her head at Serena, and then quickly looked away. There were a few others—Rita, Elizabeth, Michael, Lucas…all chained and refusing to make eye contact with her. No adult male members of her pack were among the captured, not even her father's beta, Malloren, and Serena looked in vain for her father. He was no where to be found. Serena felt sick with fear as she realized that it hadn't been a game.

"So, you were able to track her down."

Serena warily looked toward the dais. A giant of a man sat on her father's throne, a blood red cloak thrown over his body casually to cover his nakedness. He was older, around her father's age, with curling dark hair shot through with grey and piercing blue eyes. Power emanated from him, and Serena felt the urge to roll over in submission, despite her own dominant standing within her pack.

"The tunnels, sir."

Serena glared up at Gregory. The tunnels were a secret!

The man nodded and inclined his head slightly. "That information was useful after all. Perhaps we should reward the messenger."

Serena felt her heart leap in recognition as Malloren, her father's beta, stepped forward. He was not chained, but walked to the dais of his own free will. As he passed her, Serena cried out his name. She thought he would free her and her family…but Malloren only stiffened and ignored her, dropping to a knee before the man on the throne.

"Is this pup the daughter of Selene and Leroy?"

Malloren kept his head bent in submission, but his hesitation was clear.

"Do you wish your life to end as Leroy's did?" The man's voice was cold, clear and threatening. Malloren shook his head in denial and glanced back at Serena's prone form, regret clear in his dark brown eyes.

"My lord, the girl is Serena, the only child of the alpha male and female of the Jericho pack."

Selene, Serena's mother, snarled and lunged forward. "Traitor!"

The males guarding her beat her into submission, but even pinned on the stone floor, Selene's silver eyes burned with hatred for Malloren. "He trusted you and you have killed us all! For what? To serve one no better than a common mutt."

The man on the dais stood abruptly, and his dominant energy spilled over the room. His eyes flashed with controlled anger. "I am Virtus, leader of the Valterre and it is the sins of your pack against the ways of our kind that have led to your demise!" His voice thundered throughout the hall and Serena was confused. Her pack had never done anything wrong…

Selene spit scornfully upon the floor. "We have not sinned. We do not make war with humans."

"A sin!" Virtus roared and in an instant he had snatched Serena from the floor and held her by her throat. Serena choked against his tightening grip, but the ropes kept her from clawing at his hands or even kicking her feet. "You dare to defy me?"

Selene writhed upon the floor, her eyes locked on her daughter's dangling form. "Do not hurt her! She is only a pup!"

Virtus clenched tighter and Serena gasped for air, her vision becoming blurry from lack of oxygen. The hall was silent, except for the muffled sobbing of Molly, who shielded her eyes behind Andrew.

"Father, she is but a pup."

The voice was calm and confident, but Virtus did not release his grip. His eyes were locked on Serena's, blazing with hate and deadly intent. "She will grow into her parents' child and then she will be a weakness within the Valterre."

Someone came to stand behind Serena. She couldn't breathe, she couldn't see and all sound seemed as if it was reaching her from a great distance. "She will be my mate."

Virtus' grip eased and he shifted his gaze to the male standing before him. Serena swallowed in giant gulps of air. "Is that so?" Virtus' was amused, all anger suddenly gone and all madness gone from his features. "In that case, here." He released his grip and Serena would have landed on the hard stone but strong, lean arms shot out and caught her.

She looked up, still stunned into eyes the deepest shade of blue she had ever seen. They were cold but there were emotions hidden just beneath the surface that made him more human. Strangest of all, she suddenly felt safe. She turned to glare at Virtus, who had stridden to stand over Selene, his back to Serena and her savior.

Selene ignored Virtus, smiling instead at the sight of her daughter in the arms of her enemy's son. She knew of Darien, and had heard from many that he was cut from a different fabric than his cruel father. She had not known he had accompanied his father and the Valterre pack to slaughter her people, but as she had watched Virtus strangle her daughter helplessly, he'd calmly made his way forward and saved Serena's life by verbally claiming her as his future mate.

Indeed, the bond was already visible. Serena was leaning her child's body into Darien's adolescent chest, watching her mother worriedly, and Darien's arms were protectively tight around her. They would be bonded, Selene knew, when Serena came of age and only then would Serena be safe.

She was still smiling, a peaceful ease settling over her limbs, when the sword cut through her neck.

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Please take the time to review, whether or not you enjoyed the story! It means a lot to me as a writer!


	2. Chapter 2

_Chapter Two_

_Ten Years Later_

Disclaimer: I do not own the yummy generals or Darien. :/

* * *

"Do you think we will get to go home this year?"

The question startled Serena and she turned her gaze from the endless expanse of blue sky to stare at Molly. Her friend and pack mate was sprawled out beside her in the tall grass, her bright red hair aflame in the afternoon sun light. Serena sighed and shook her head. "It isn't really our home anymore."

Serena knew that Molly still thought of the Jericho castle as their home but Serena had ceased to think of it as such the day her pack had been massacred. She tried to block out those painful memories as much as possible but sometimes, especially when she was sleeping, they slipped out and became nightmares. At times it felt as if she had dreamed the whole thing, but someone always reminded her that she had not always been a member of the Valterre pack.

After the night her family had been executed and Darien had saved her from the same fate, Virtus had banished Serena and her younger pack mates to a far outreach of the Valterre pack range. She had been stripped of her lands, her home and her pack. Along with Molly, Elizabeth and Michael, she had been thrust into an isolated and poorer branch of the pack. The alpha of the smaller pack was a male named Henry, and although he was submissive to the greater rule of Virtus, he had taken in the traumatized pups with more kindness than most of the pack would have shown. His mate Barbra had immediately swept the children under her matronly wing, and had never made Serena feel like an outsider.

Now, Molly sighed wistfully and rolled on her side to face Serena, her bright green eyes focused on her best friend's face. "Do you ever wonder when Darien is going to come get you?"

Serena shook her head again, "No. He won't ever come and that's fine with me." Although her tone was harsh, as intended, there was still that small voice deep inside of her that whispered _Liar._

"Henry said he hasn't taken a different mate and he'd well old enough."

Like her dreams about going home to Jericho, Molly had equally hopeless dreams about a romance blossoming between Serena and Darien. Serena tried to be patient but both caused a pain to blossom inside of her heart. "I wish he would take another mate and get it over with."

"No you don't." Molly stated insightfully. "He claimed you. If he doesn't relinquish his claim, no one else will be able to take you as their mate. Do you really want to be alone until you die, hundreds of years from now?"

"I don't care. I will always have you."

Molly was silent. Serena turned her head, her brow wrinkling. "Molly, I will always have you, won't I?"

Molly pushed herself up, picking at the voluminous folds of her dark green dress, and Serena's sensitive nose picked up the scent of her discomfort. "Serena, I don't want you to feel alone but at the next full moon gathering, I think Melvin will claim me."

Serena sat up, her face a mask of incredulity. "Melvin? You would actually want to be his mate?" She knew that the two had been spending a lot of time together, disappearing to run the eternal fields without her and returning smelling of night dew and joy but…Melvin? He was tall and lanky, with brown hair that stuck up in sprigs all over his head. His vision was impaired, although it was extremely rare for those of their kind to not have better than perfect vision. Serena wrinkled her nose: he had those awful thick lenses that he wore on wires in order to see clearly. It gave him the look of a harassed owl.

Molly's face flushed. "He is a wonderful male, Serena."

"Yes, but is he your One?" Serena plucked a blade of grass. It was one thing to become someone's mate if they were the One but Serena couldn't imagine joining with anyone who wasn't. A lot of the pack did that, joined and became the mate of someone other than their One, it wasn't unusual but Serena felt like it would be a betrayal were she to ever do the same. Which was why she couldn't become Darien's mate; he wasn't her One.

"He is." Molly said quietly but her voice was sure and her scent was warm with love.

Serena flopped back and stared up at a passing cloud. "Well, I really will be alone then, won't I?"

Molly took Serena's hand and kissed her fingers gently. "Oh Serena, it won't change anything. We will still live here and we will still see each other every day like we do now."

"It won't be the same Molly. You will be free to leave this…" Serena flailed an arm hopelessly at the endless yellow field parallel to the endless blue sky. "…This wasteland." She spit out and took her hand from Molly's grasp. "You will be able to go home if you want to."

Molly couldn't dispute the fact. Virtus had proclaimed that the displaced Jericho pack members could return to their home only if they mated into the Valterre pack. The older members of the pack that had survived, like Patricia and Andrew were unlikely to ever mate with the Valterre. Andrew had been an adolescent at ten when their pack was killed or driven off, so he had a better chance of finding a mate but Patricia was over one hundred and carried so much hate for the Valterre that she would never find someone to mate with.

"Well, maybe when you go back to Jericho—I mean, Valterre castle, you'll see Andrew." Serena said, somewhat spitefully.

Molly looked hurt, and Serena felt bad. "I'm sorry, Molly. I am happy for you and Melvin. I'm glad you have found your One."

"Maybe this year Darien will come for you and you will be free to leave too."

Serena stood and stretched, her long golden hair tickling the backs of her ankles. "He won't but thanks for trying to make me feel better." She smiled down at Molly and pulled off the long white apron embroidered with little star and moon designs. It was Barbra's attempt at keeping Serena presentable, but it didn't serve its purpose well. Even at sixteen, Serena was liable to become as dirty as she had as a child. "Molly, undo my corset stays."

Molly obliged and soon Serena was standing naked in the field, her dress, corset, apron and under things folded neatly by Molly. Molly undressed quickly and without waiting for Serena, made the Change. Serena watched as Molly, in her wolf form, stretched her long limbs and shook her deep auburn coat out. Then Molly turned to Serena, and yipped impatiently. Serena laughed and let the Change ripple over her.

* * *

The small pack had already seated for the evening meal when Serena and Molly walked in, clinging to each others' arms and laughing. Barbra smiled and Serena was walking across the room to greet her when a familiar scent caught her nose. Serena froze. The scent was so familiar but it had been so long since she had last—

All she saw was a blur of blonde and suddenly arms were wrapped around her neck. Serena inhaled deeply. Mina! She squealed and hugged the other girl tightly, hardly believing it was one of her childhood best friends. "Mina! What are you doing here? I thought that you were dead!"

Mina pulled back slightly, her light blue eyes twinkling. "No! It is such a long story, I will tell you all of it later! For now, come sit! I have to tell you about my things!"

Serena followed in a daze, confusion and elation warring with each other within her. The pack that had taken her in was smiling and quietly finished their meals, leaving the small hall to give Serena and her new guest some privacy. Molly smiled uncertainly from the doorway until Melvin's wiry form pulled her from the hall, his face illuminated with affection.

Serena finally focused on Mina, who had chattered away as they sat and the room emptied. "Mina, I don't understand. I thought you were dead."

Mina paused, her sparkling eyes sharpening in warning. She slowly shook her head and then kept babbling about her beautiful room in the Valterre castle, a direct contradiction with her serious eyes. "Serena, you need to eat! You look like you were outside rolling in dirt all day!" She giggled and shoved a plate piled with meat in front of Serena and a goblet full of deep crimson wine.

Serena blushed. She had been rolling in dirt in her wolf form, and mud and some really good smells left behind by a passing herd of elk…Quickly, she dug into the food and drained the goblet of wine, sensing that her questions would be answered the sooner they could retreat to the privacy of her chambers.

When she was finished, she rose and motioned for Mina to follow her. Mina's long deep orange skirts brushed the stone floor as she followed, finally quiet. Serena's rooms were in the north tower of the castle. She had the tower to herself, which had always annoyed her in the past, but now she was glad for the isolation as she shut the solar door after Mina and motioned her into her bedchamber.

Once inside, Mina dropped the ditzy persona and clutched Serena to her in a tight hug. "You have no idea how long it has taken for me to get here to you."

Serena pulled away, slightly discomforted by the closeness of someone she hadn't seen since she was six. Mina looked every bit as beautiful as she had as a child. Her wheat blonde hair fell to the back of her knees, half of it tied back with a ribbon at the crown of her head. Her eyes were every bit as vivacious as they were when she was six. She was clothed in fine fabrics; a deep orange dress overlaid with a light yellow overdress embroidered with whimsical patterns in deep red. She was lovely, confident and suddenly, Serena felt rough and unsophisticated.

"Mina, I'm sorry but I don't understand…"

Mina shook her head and knelt before Serena, grabbing her hands and kissing them. Serena flushed red and took a step away. "Mina, what--?"

"Serena, you are the true pack leader of the Jericho. There are those of us who have remained loyal to you, despite Virtus' and the Valterre. I am one of them." Mina spoke passionately and resolutely. "I may not always show my deference to you but you are my alpha, now and forever. I have not forgotten."

Serena was shaking her head and backing away. "Mina, I'm not. I'm not at all your alpha or anyone else's. I am lucky to be alive." She sat down on the edge of her bed, staring in disbelief at Mina's submissive form. "I thought you were dead."

Mina shook her head again and came to sit beside Serena, again taking her hand. "There is much you don't know." She glanced around the simple room and grimaced. "And now seeing this place that he'd imprisoned you in, I am not surprised."

Serena glanced around and saw the room through Mina's eyes. The bed covers were a dusky rose color, but faded and threadbare in places. Her huge bed was not ornately carved as her one at Jericho had been, but was sturdy in an ugly sort of way. An old iron chandelier hung from the ceiling, with the burned down stubs of old candles still in their places. A pile of books littered her bed side table, and her few gowns hung messily in her wardrobe. After Darien's timely rescue ten years before, she had been given no time to retrieve any of her possessions or her parent's. She assumed long ago that Virtus had burned them along with her parents' bodies in the courtyard.

Still, this far outreach had become her home and Henry and Barbra had protected and sheltered her with love as she had grown. "It isn't so bad." She muttered and a flush crept across her face.

Mina took in her true alpha's averted eyes and blush and felt bad. She hadn't intended on offending her so soon after being reunited. "I didn't mean to offend you."

Serena waved away her apology and smiled resignedly. "You are right. It isn't at all like Jericho." She sighed and pulled a stray thread from her apron. "But I have been treated well here and Henry and Barbra have been good to me. Now tell me, how have you been alive this entire time?"

Now it was Mina's turn to sigh. "Some of this will be hard for you to hear."

Serena smiled sadly. "I have passed the last ten years thinking that the only survivors were myself, Patricia, Molly, Andrew, Elizabeth, Michael, Rita and Lucas…and Malloren, of course." Mina's face contorted into a snarl, but Serena continued as if it hadn't happened. "Knowing that some perished as I expected will not be difficult to hear."

Mina composed herself. "When the attack came, I was sleeping with the girls." Serena felt the old flash of envy. Mina, Lita, Rei and Ami had been allowed to sleep in the same chamber, in an enormous bed, because they were not next in line to become alpha and her parents had thought it was inappropriate for their daughter to sleep with her pack mates. "Andrew burst in and woke us up. He was frightened, sweating and half naked in his haste to warn us. We could hear our males and females shifting into their wolf forms, to join the fighting below in the courtyard. Rei was already running for the stairs to get you, but Andrew stopped her. He told us that the best way we could protect you was by leaving you. We were to act as decoys, to draw the Valterre away in hopes that they thought you were with us. Rei only gave up trying to run to your chamber when Andrew told us your mother was helping you escape through the tunnels. If we escaped successfully, we were to take a round-about route to the Haven."

Mina paused, her eyes distant, and Serena wondered if she was reliving it again as well. "You didn't escape successfully I take it."

Mina shook her head. "We were close. We had made it past the edge of the fields and into the beginning of the marshes, and they caught us. We didn't go quietly." Serena could imagine Lita and Rei fighting their little hearts out. "When they discovered that you were not with us, they took us straight down to the cells. They kept us down in the prison, chained, for a week."

Serena grasped Mina's hand sympathetically and Mina smiled sadly. "It was awful but not as awful as it could have been. For some, it was worse. Remember Fiore?" Serena nodded; picturing the thin, wisp of a male, with unusual aqua hair and cream colored skin. He was already a few hundred years old when she was born, but was always kind to her. "Fiore survived the battle, and they brought him to the dungeon. He was in a cell down farther down from us. We were young enough that they didn't make us swear oaths of fealty, but the older pack members, like Fiore, Derek, Liah…they tortured them until they swore the oath or if they refused, they were tortured until they were killed. They tortured him until the end and we were in our cell and heard it all. It was terrible. Derek and his mate, Liah died that way as well. Some swore the oath, and some escaped, possibly to the Haven but out of all of our pack, less than twenty members there that night survived."

The news didn't surprise Serena but the thought of Derek and Liah, and Fiore being tortured to death sickened her. Virtus was an evil alpha, and she could never forgive what he did to her pack. "Did they treat you badly?"

"No." A wry smile twisted her lips. "Virtus was sure that we would be useful to him at some point, especially after he found out that we'd already began our training as warriors in order to become your guardians. No, he never mistreated us, and made sure no one else did either. He failed to recognize, however, that by failing to make us swear the oath of fealty to him, he guaranteed our loyalty to you." Mina smiled, her bubbly charm lighting her eyes. "He sent me here to see how you were doing. I think he believes that he has you so cowed that you will never think to challenge him. Little does he know that there were more of the Jericho pack that survived and are eagerly awaiting the day you take back what belongs rightfully to you."

Serena looked away from Mina's expectant smile. How could she tell her that she had no desire to challenge the man who had slain her pack? The Jericho castle was fortified by Valterre wolves, completely loyal to Virtus. The few Jericho survivors would not be enough to overturn Virtus and his followers. "Mina, I…"

Mina shushed her, her ears virtually perking up and her gaze turned warily toward the closed door. "Say nothing to no one, not even Molly. She is mating into the Valterre pack and we couldn't depend on her loyalty to you. For now, continue as you have. Pretend as if you know nothing."

She stood and swiftly made her way to the door, opening and smiling welcomingly at Molly. "Molly! I am so glad you are well!"

Serena watched, her gut twisting inside of her. She was not made to follow in her parent's footsteps. A true alpha would not hesitate to take back her throne and her people. She was nothing more than a cowering dog, as Virtus always said she was when he visited. How was she to tell Mina that the hope Mina had been holding onto for ten years was nothing more than an imagined fantasy?

* * *

Darien shifted in his uncomfortable seat, trying to quell his rising impatience. His father was drunk again, and regaling his closest supporters with exaggerated tales of the night they took Jericho. Thinking of that night made bile rise in his throat, and he couldn't bear to listen to his father's bloody bragging.

They were sitting around an enormous table before the great fire in the great hall. The rest of the Valterre pack had trailed out after the evening meal was finished, uneasy with their alpha's growing inebriation. Many of the pack members would drink, as the alcohol didn't affect their people the same as it did humans, but to become so drunk night after night…many were starting to whisper that it was a weakness unbefitting an alpha. The rumors, if heard by the beta, the guardians or the shaman were quickly squashed, most often through force, but that didn't stop the rumors from quietly circulating.

Darien wished, for the millionth time, that he could have escaped with the rest of them and gone running in his wolf form, but his father had commanded him to stay. His father's eyes had gleamed with a demented pleasure. He knew Darien despised him because of his heartless killing that night but he took joy in reminding his son of a night he so hated to remember.

"I was going to kill the Jericho whelp when my son claimed her." Virtus chuckled and shook his head regretfully. "I would kill that bitch today if Darien would give up his claim and mate with another…"

His throat felt tight with anger and Darien struggled to keep his emotions under control. Hiding his feelings was something he had grown very good at, and in his position, with his feelings toward his father, control was essential.

"Why do you want the bitch anyway, Darien?" His father goaded, taking a deep drink of the alcohol he had created. "You haven't laid eyes on her since she was a pup, and I must say, she is an ugly bitch. I have heard rumors that she has already joined some male…"

His father's beta, Warren, barked out a laugh, his meaty face red with drink. "I have heard rumors that it hasn't been just one male she's joined with…"

Virtus was greatly amused and slapped his hand on the table, choking on his drink. "Only my son would claim the pack slut."

Darien bit back a growl and forced a smile onto his face, pretending to be a little amused by his father and his father's beta. "Then she won't be unpracticed when I lay my claim to her."

His father shook his head, his amusement dying quickly. He surveyed his son, his blue eyes blazing with a madness induced by alcohol and power. "I don't know what you think to prove by this, Darien but this game does try my patience."

Darien lowered his head submissively, swallowing back his hatred; it dropped to the pit of his stomach like a lead stone. "I seek to prove nothing Father. My apologies if it seems that my love life is a game meant to antagonize you."

His father regarded him silently before cracking his neck and flicking his fingers dismissively at his son. "You weary me. You are excused."

Darien took his father's permission and left the great hall quickly, his muscles relaxed and his shoulders straight. He had learned from infancy that weakness, any weakness at all, was a death wish. Around his father, if you were weak, you were better off dead. It was one thing you were the omega of the pack, but to be the alpha's only son…Regardless of how much he hated his father and his father's cruel and mad ways, if he valued his life, he would never be anything less than the alpha's heir.

His chambers were located at the rear of the castle, in the southwest wing. He had been given the old alphas' wing. He had thought his father would take Leroy and Selene's old rooms but his father had scoffed and said the rooms were not worthy of an alpha such as himself. Only Darien knew that his father was superstitious and thought that the bad luck of the previous alphas would follow him. So Darien had claimed the wing as his own and moved his belongings into the chambers adjoining Serena's old ones. The dead Jericho alphas rooms were not empty however.

As Darien stalked past, his control steadily slipped the further into his sanctuary he got. By the time the doors to his wing had closed behind him, his generals could smell his anger.

Malachite stepped from his chamber and held out a goblet of fresh, cold water. After seeing what alcohol did to his father, Darien couldn't stomach anything stronger than wine, and he only drank that on occasions he couldn't get by drinking just water. Malachite was silent as Darien drained the goblet and accepted it when Darien handed it back to him and moved past him into the general's room.

The alphas' old chambers were hardly small. There were four smaller chambers off of two larger ones, and the four smaller served as his general's bedrooms. The first of the larger rooms was a waiting room of sorts, where they would receive guests that were not known well enough to be invited into the inner chamber.

It was in the inner chamber, before a roaring fire, that Darien collapsed into an oversized chair. Zoisite looked up from the chess game he was playing with Nephlite, and Jadeite looked up from a letter he was writing by the window.

"What was it this time?" Zoisite asked dryly, arching a blond eyebrow in distaste.

Darien rolled his head back on his shoulders and stared blankly at the ceiling. "That night." He nearly spat the words from his mouth, as if he had taken a bite of rotten meat.

Jadeite put his letter aside and sat in the chair across from Darien, his slate blue eyes sharp with anger. "He does it to torture you."

"Virtus may think it bothers Darien but if he had any idea how deep Darien's abhorrence for him ran, Darien would be dead." Malachite stood in front of the fire, his long white hair glistening in the flickering light. His face was hard and impenetrable and his scent only told Darien that he was calm. Darien felt lucky, as he often did when faced with Malachite's stoic façade, to have him as his beta. He was twenty seven, older than Darien's twenty one years but his loyalty to Darien was unwavering.

Nephlite didn't look up from the chess game but his rough, deep voice was clear in the privacy of the chamber. "I would kill him myself if Virtus did anything so stupid."

Zoisite chuckled and pushed a game piece forward. "Check mate." Nephlite scowled darkly at the game board and then at Zoisite suspiciously.

"You cheated." He accused, his hazel eyes narrowed.

Zoisite laughed and stretched back in his chair, his light brown hair curling around his shoulders. "Don't be an idiot. I don't have to cheat. You were so busy growling about what you would do that you didn't even pay attention to the game."

Nephlite frowned but Jadeite interceded before the two could continue arguing. "When are you going to claim Serena?"

All four men turned to look at their alpha (for they wouldn't claim Virtus as their alpha, except when necessity imposed) expectantly. Darien flinched away from the question, and moved to stand by one of the windows cut from the stone wall. The Jericho pack had been wealthy and had been able to afford plate glass to cover their windows, so now when he stared out to the night sky, it was as clear as if he were outside.

Malachite sighed and leaned against the mantle. "He sent Mina."

"Sent her where?" Darien wasn't really paying attention to his beta, instead he was looking at the waxing moon and wondering if Serena was as ugly as his father said.

"To check in on Serena."

Darien's attention was diverted from the night sky and he stared blankly at Malachite. The man regarded him unflinchingly, but Zoisite, Nephlite and Jadeite averted their eyes in submission. Darien always exuded alpha power but his generals were so used to it that it hardly affected them anymore. There were times when he was especially upset about something however, that the power spiked and they were overwhelmed with the urge to bare their necks or bellies.

"To check in on Serena?" Darien repeated. How had this bit of information escaped his knowledge? How had Malachite failed to tell him? "Mina is your prospective mate, is that right?" His voice was hard.

Malachite nodded slowly.

"Why didn't you tell me this?" Darien was annoyed, he had kept all of Serena's pack mates, especially the pups her same age, away from her on purpose. Except Molly, the four girls, Mina, Rei, Lita and Ami, had been kept from their alpha. The girls served the same purpose as his generals, as he had fondly nicknamed them in childhood. The purpose of both groups was to protect and serve their respective alphas. In order to keep Serena safe, he had stripped her of her closest friends and guardians. If he had allowed the girls to go with Serena into virtual exile, his father would have viewed her as a threat and had her assassinated, regardless of Darien's claim. Molly, a submissive redhead had accompanied her, and Serena had passed the last ten years safe. Now his father was upsetting this carefully constructed plan by sending her beta to her. His father had either known this was Darien's purpose all along, or he was completely oblivious to Mina being the beta and sent her along in ignorance. Darien suspected it was the first.

Malachite folded his arms. "I didn't tell you because I wasn't aware of it until I went to talk to Mina and she was gone. Warren told me earlier, and now I've told you."

Darien groaned in frustration and turned back to the night sky.

The room was silent for a few moments before Jadeite, young and impetuous, broke the silence. "So will you claim her now?"

Nephlite shot him a warning look but Darien just sighed and without turning said: "Well, now I suppose I will have to."

* * *

This chapter took a lot longer than I thought it would and I struggled with remembering the general's individual personalities…I ended up spending a lot of time on the internet, but I still don't think I am spot on. So I am just going to wing it, and hope that you will all be flexible. If I am _way_ off (all the way out to Pluto off), go ahead and correct me. I can't promise they will be exactly as you imagine but I'll do my best. Thank you so much to my readers and to those of you who reviewed! It really means a lot and the nice things you say encourage me to get back on my laptop and pound out another chapter. Let me know what you thought, and the next one will be on the way!


	3. Chapter 3

_Chapter Three_

_The Full Moon Gathering_

_Disclaimer: I do not own Sailor Moon, or the characters. _

Mina flitted around Serena's chambers like a butterfly, light on her bare toes. Her bright orange silk dress belled around her long legs when she danced past Serena again. Serena was curled on her small window seat in her solar, a worn book of poetry cradled in her lap.

"Serena! You must wear the dress I brought for you from home!"

Serena glanced up warily from the poem she was reading and regarded the armful of white and silver silk in Mina's arms. "I don't think so."

Mina groaned. "You must! I brought it all this way for you for the full moon gathering! You would look stunning in it!" She draped the gown across an empty chair. "Anyway, it's much better than the ones you have now."

Serena flushed. "The ones I have now are perfectly functional."

Mina raised a doubtful eyebrow, a look Serena had come to remember from their childhood. "Perhaps they are functional but that doesn't make them attractive. No wonder you haven't found any suitors."

"I haven't found any suitors because I haven't wanted any."

"I see." Mina busied herself straightening the unwanted dress. "So Molly is correct. You are waiting for Darien."

Serena leaped to her feet, her fists clenched at her sides. "I am not!"

Mina took in Serena's defensive stance, and tasted her unwilling alpha's scent. Serena may be able to lie to herself but as a werewolf, it was impossible for her to lie to one of her own kind. Well, Mina mentally amended, it was impossible for Serena to lie to another werewolf. She was simply incapable. "Serena, you may be able to lie to the members of the pack here, but you can't lie to me."

Serena sighed and slumped back onto the window seat. Mina was right. She couldn't lie. It was embarrassing to have another know so much about her emotions but even after all of this time, Serena and Mina were still bonded closely. "I'm sorry."

Mina shrugged dismissively. "Don't be ridiculous. You have been raised in an enemy pack for the last ten years but here you are safe, at least. I lie constantly. I must in order to survive in the Valterre pack." She glanced at Serena, a mischievous smile tugging her lips. "I am just better at lying than you are apparently."

Serena relaxed and returned her beta's smile. "I suppose you are. You always have been."

"The girls and I were trained to be better at everything. We had to be. In order to protect you at all times, it meant becoming superior to other members of the pack."

Serena nodded slowly. "I know. Mina, I just don't know what you expect from me. Virtus will slaughter any who stand in his way, especially me. The only thing that is keeping me alive is Darien's claim. What happens when he withdraws it?"

Mina was already shaking her head. "He won't withdraw it. Darien has done everything within his power to protect you. His claim may be keeping Virtus from assassinating you but that is not the only thing."

"How do you know?" Serena felt as close to Mina as she ever had but she sensed there was much Mina knew that she withheld from Serena.

Serena was surprised when a faint blush crossed Mina's cheekbones. "I have sources close to Darien."

"They could be lying."

"No, he wouldn't lie to me." Mina's response was firm, and Serena knew instantly that her source was a male.

"You trust the word of an enemy male?"

Mina nodded. "He isn't our enemy Sere. He is Darien's beta and none of those who are friends to Darien are enemies to us." She still sensed Serena's quiet doubt and felt the need to explain her actions further, despite the fact that her nature told her to guard her emotions closely.

"His name is Malachite." She sat down on the window seat and looked through the warped glass at the outside world. It was drizzling rain now but it would clear up by the time the gathering began. "I met him first when we were released from the dungeon. Warren, Virtus' beta, came with the orders but Malachite followed to be sure we were not mistreated. As soon as I set eyes on him, I knew." Mina glanced at her alpha for her reaction, but Serena's face was expressionless. "He was my One. I think he knew then too, because Warren tried to strike me for not exposing my neck and Malachite intercepted the blow. He was only seventeen at the time, but he stood up to Warren. Warren didn't let it pass. They fought later and Malachite was left with a scar."

Serena listened intently to Mina, her heartbeat slow and steady despite her aching desire to know that someone loved her enough to fight for her. Her parents had died protecting her, along with other pack members but no one had stepped forward to claim her…except Darien. Serena had long ago ceased to count his claim as legitimate. She hadn't seen him since that fateful night.

"You love him."

Mina looked at Serena, her surprise clear on her features. That was something she had not admitted to anyone, and she had barely come to terms with the fact herself. "Yes."

Serena smiled ruefully. "You and Molly." She stood and went to stroke the silken folds of the dress thoughtfully. "I suppose the other girls have found their Ones as well?"

"Ami has but she hasn't admitted it to anyone yet, lest of all herself. Rei is fighting all of it, and Lita is embracing it." She smiled, thinking of Rei shoving past Jadeite in her wolf form, her hair bristled along her neck and back. The last time they had gone running together, the generals had tried to join them. Rei had growled continuously and kept the playful blond wolf at a safe distance; Ami had tentatively backed away from the bold lithe Zoisite, but the excited whines that escaped her had given her joy away; Lita had abandoned all pretense of playing hard to get and had frolicked through the forest with the large, muscled brown wolf at her side.

"Does Virtus know?"

"Perhaps but it doesn't worry him. We have gone to great lengths to prove ourselves as nothing more than insipid females. He doesn't perceive us as a treat anymore."

Serena was still running her fingers over the beautiful dress, her eyes distant and her expression one of regret. It delighted Mina to see the alpha slowly begin to awaken within the girl, but each time the alpha stepped forward, it was as if Serena unconsciously chased her back into the dark. It would take time and patience for Serena to realize her true potential.

"Will you wear the dress tonight?" She finally asked.

Serena smiled thoughtfully. "I suppose."

* * *

This chapter is short, but that's all I can get out for now! Thank you to all of you who have taken the time to review—it inspires me to write the next chapter more quickly!


	4. Chapter 4

_Chapter Four_

_Drawing Closer_

The sun had slipped below the endless expanse of fields an hour before Serena and Mina finally stepped from the warm confines of the great hall and into the waiting night. Most of the mated pairs had already stolen away to get in a quick hunt and run before the Full Moon Gathering officially began.

The long grass was cold beneath their bare feet but both girls were used to it and didn't flinch away from the night noises around them. Their noses accurately pin-pointed the cause of each disturbance and the girls dismissed them respectively: a rabbit, a mouse, a fox tracking the mouse…

An enormous bonfire had been built hours before and wolves in their human forms milled around, dressed in their finest. As they approached, Mina cheerfully grasped Serena's hand. The pack stilled and quieted when they broke the circle of dancing light and Serena felt a flush of discomfort begin in her stomach. She shouldn't have worn the dress. It was blatantly more beautiful than anything anyone else in the pack owned. She felt as if she was disregarding their care of her by wearing the dress but she hadn't been able to resist the silken fabric or the carefully stitched detail.

Barbra stepped forward, a warm smile creasing her gentle features. "Oh Serena! You are a sight to behold!" She enveloped Serena in a motherly hug, and when she pulled away, Serena was surprised to see tears welling in the corners of her eyes. "Henry! Look at our girl!"

Henry smiled, but his expression was slightly pinched. "You look lovely, Serena. But then, you always are." He looked at the dress and shook his head. "Don't need some fancy dress to show that."

Serena was hot with embarrassment and pleasure from their genuine praise. "Mina brought it for me and I thought I would wear it tonight." She explained, but Barbra shooed away her insecurities casually.

"Silly girl! It is beautiful!" She turned to Mina, dressed in her own silken gown. "That was kind of you to bring it for her. It has been years since she has been clothed in such finery."

Mina smiled. "A friend of ours made it for her. She sent it with me as a gift."

Serena turned in surprise, intent on asking who made such a beautiful dress for her but Mina had already fluttered away to talk excitedly with Molly about her upcoming Claiming. Melvin was standing nearby, awkward as ever, but his face was suffused with such adoration for Molly that Serena couldn't begrudge him his ungainly form.

"Melvin."

His eyes bugged out a little behind his thick glasses. Serena and her cool, collected beauty had always made him more than a little nervous. Not only that but dominance oozed out of her very pores and for a less dominant wolf like Melvin, being in the company of an alpha was never a very comfortable experience. Serena, too naïve to recognize her own affect on other wolves, was blithely unaware of this fact.

"Serena…" Melvin muttered, tilting his head to the side unconsciously and showing her his neck.

Serena was oblivious to his submissive gestures and blundered on, determined to set the tall scarecrow of a guy straight about treating her best friend well. "You will treat her like a precious gem, won't you?"

Little did she know that her voice, already underwritten with power, didn't need the extra push she gave it. Poor Melvin was sweating and Serena took his discomfort completely wrong. Instead of realizing she was the source of his nervous energy, she took it to mean that he wasn't sure that he could treat Molly like a gem.

Serena bristled, ready to come to the defense. "Melvin, you will treat her like a queen, won't you?"

"Of course—" Melvin managed to choke out but his nervous fidgeting was negating his words as far as Serena was concerned.

She was ready to pounce on him and force him to say he would treat Molly perfectly when Mina quickly stepped in, taking the blunt force of Serena's aura. She winced imperceptibly, and smiled gaily at Melvin. "Melvin, Molly is waiting for you!"

Melvin took the opportunity and escaped to the side of Molly, who was dressed in a light green dress, ribbons and flowers decorating her curly red locks. Making sure no one was paying attention, Mina lowered her voice and whirled on Serena.

"What are you doing? Trying to cow that boy into submission? He was already submitting to you completely! You were virtually terrorizing him!"

Serena stepped back, embarrassed and confused. "I was only trying to ensure that he would treat Molly well, that's all. I wasn't being dominant or anything."

Mina snorted and shook off her alpha's denial. "You were trying and if you aren't aware of it already, you don't even need to try." She ran a hand absently through her long wheat blonde hair and studied her confused alpha. "Serena, you are constantly exuding your alpha aura. That's not an issue for me, or even Molly but for wolves like Melvin…" She glanced over her shoulder at the couple who were giggling together next to the bonfire. "Melvin is as submissive as they come. You can't use any extra force with them because all it does it make them nervous, or edgy. He wouldn't lash out at you, most wolves like that won't but if you tried that with someone older, stronger, and male…they would retaliate."

Serena felt her embarrassment deepen. "I thought he was just being evasive because he didn't plan on treating Molly well. I didn't know he was being submissive to me."

Mina sighed thoughtfully. "You have been so far removed from pack politics, it is a wonder you haven't gotten into any fights here. You have much you need to learn, although the majority will come from listening to your wolf inside." She peered at Serena, her blue eyes perceptive in the firelight. "You don't listen to her enough, I think. That's your main problem."

Serena knew that was true but she also knew if she listened to everything her wolf wanted, she would have struck out on her own years ago to take revenge on Virtus (and probably would have gotten herself killed in the process), she would have sought out Darien and proclaimed her undying love and devotion (and had her heart shattered when he rejected her), and gotten into more territorial and dominance-driven fights than she could have counted. Listening to her wolf to survive was one thing, but listening and acting upon her baser instincts were another matter entirely.

Mina's demeanor shifted and she smiled brightly. "Well, don't worry about it for now. What's done is done. The Claiming is about to begin and Molly would be devastated if you missed out." She linked arms with Serena and pulled her to the gathering. "Besides, I think you have ensured that Molly will have the best mate in the history of our kind." They both relaxed and giggled, and watched as the Claiming ceremony began.

* * *

Darien and his generals were only a few miles from Henry's hold when he caught his first whiff of the other wolves. In his human form, Darien paused and waited as Malachite stopped a few feet to his left, a brilliant white wolf that made Darien feel petite standing next to him in his human form. Malachite tasted the breeze carefully and then his long, plumed tail began to wag back and forth slowly, his lips curling in a wolfish smile.

Jadeite stepped from the underbrush to the edge of the sparse woods. "It's Mina. She passed this way when she came here."

Darien smiled at Malachite's uncharacteristic display of excitement but then, it was always harder for them to hide their true emotions while in wolf form. "So we are nearly there."

"In time for the Full Moon Ceremony." Nephlite pointed out, having shifted back into his human form; he took his pack of clothes from Jadeite's shoulder and dressed quickly.

"Duck." Jadeite grumbled and dropped to the leaf-littered ground. Darien followed suit without hesitation and a honey-colored blur sailed over him, dropping exactly where Darien's exposed back had been.

Zoisite rolled energetically around in the dead leaves, his tongue hanging out of his mouth, and happiness coming off of him in joyful waves. One of his favorite games, since childhood, was to attempt to pounce on them when they were least expecting it. However, he employed this game so frequently that they expected his attacks and he rarely ever caught them.

Not that it seemed to stifle his puppy-like energy.

Malachite sniffed in Zoisite's direction disdainfully and was about to shift when Zoisite pounced on him, making playful nips at the beta's neck and shoulders. Malachite growled and spun, attempting to buck off the younger, smaller wolf, but Zoisite yipped happily and clung on.

Darien smiled and stood, brushing a stray leaf from his dark locks. Jadeite was itching to join the tussle but Nephlite shook his head. They still had more ground to cover and the sooner they arrived, the sooner their mission could be accomplished and the sooner they could return to the Valterre castle.

When the play fight continued with no signs of abating, Darien strode over and easily snagged Zoisite by the scruff, giving Malachite enough time to shift into his human form. Zoisite dangled helplessly, but was still yipping and yowling playfully, attempting to turn his head and nip at his alpha's hand. Darien laughed and shoved the wolf away from him, and Zoisite shifted to his human form, laughing and sweating.

"At least I got one of you!" He chuckled and shrugged on a blue tunic.

Malachite grunted. "I was distracted."

Zoisite's grin widened. "I thought I caught a passing scent trail of the lovely and fair Mina!" He teased, darting out of the way when Malachite half-heartedly swiped at him. Darien watched the exchange with fond tolerance. Each of his generals possessed his own personality and qualities than made them unique and irreplaceable. Malachite was the stoic, Nephlite was the mediator, Jadeite was the youngest and often lacked a filter between his brain and his mouth, and Zoisite would never lose his playful puppy side.

"If the two of you are done…?" He asked pleasantly, and Zoisite ambled to his side.

"Never done but always at your service."

Darien knocked him on the top of his head affectionately. "Let's go."

* * *

This took much longer than anticipated but a lot has happened in my life! I am now married and expecting my first baby. SO, the next chapters will come as my life allows! But thank you so much to everyone who has reviewed and are waiting for the next chapters! I really am writing this because I know you guys are out there waiting patiently.


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